Chapter 3 "Removing the Veil"

Hebrews 10 tells us, "Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, . . . let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water" (10:19, 22).

But while we should have confidence and we should enter into God's presence, few Christians do. Why is that? Why do so many of us settle for far less spiritually than we could have?

Remember what Tozer said: "The world is perishing for lack of the knowledge of God and the church is famishing for want of His presence. The instant cure of most of our religious ills would be to enter the Presecne in spiritual experience, to become suddenly aware that we are in God and that God is in us. This would lift us out of our pitiful narrowness and cause our hearts to be enlarged."

Read Revelation 4:11 and consider ways to glorify God. Look up each of these verses and meditate on it: Psalm 86:11-12, Romans 15:5-6, 1 Corinthians 6:20, 2 Corinthians 9:13, 1 Peter 2:12, 4:16, 1 Corinthians 10:31, Psalm 115:1.

Chapter 2 "The Blessedness of Possessing Nothing"

You can say, "oh, I have turned everything over to the Lord and He controls my life and my things." But do you really practice that? If we knowingly hold back anything, we are still in control.

We can say, "But God controls 95 percent of my life, so He is really the One who is in control." Not true. If we are holding anything back, then we are in control, for when we say, "God, you can have 95 percent of me; I'll just hold on to this 5 percent," we are actually saying that we are still the one who decides what to give and what not to give! We are still the controller.

Possess nothing! Let no "thing" posses you! Give it all to the Lord for His control!

Read Matthew 19:16-30. What does this passage teach about possessing things? Does it really teach that we have to give up everything we have to get to heaven? How do we give up the things that possess us? What does this passage teach about the "What's in it for me?" attitude so prevalent today?

"The Pursuit of God" by A. W. Tozer (introduction)

"The Pursuit of God" is the classic Tozer book. It shows his heart, style, and godly convictions. At present, there are over forty A.W. Tozer books in print. Of these only nine were produced while Tozer was alive. His biography titled, "In Pursuit of God: The life of A.W. Tozer" by James Snyder is a fantastic read also.

Consider this portion of his "Ordination Prayer":

"Lord Jesus, I come to Thee for spiritual preparation. Lay Thy hand upon me. Anoint me with the oil of the New Testament prophet. Forbid that I should become a religious scribe and thus lose my prophetic calling. Save me from the curse that lies dark across the face of the modern clergy, the curse of compromise, of imitation, of professionalism. Save me from the error of judging a church by its size, its popularity or the amount of its yearly offerings. Help me to remember that I am a prophet, not a promoter, not a religious manager, but a prophet. Let me never become a slave to crowds. Heal my soul of carnal ambitions and deliver me from the itch for poblicity. . ."

Tozer is a man of God worthy of knowing. He is in Heaven now however, we can spend time with him through his books. Lets get to know him and his God a little better.

Pastor's Reading Club Assignment:

1. Read the "Foreword, Tozer's Lagacy, and Preface" before starting the first chapter, "Following Hard After God."

2. Consider your pursuit of God (devotional life) as you read this book.

3. Do you have a regular prayer time? What is it like?

4. How do you get to know someone? What, according to Tozer, is the essence of genuine religion?

5. Read the quotes from pages 13 and 14. Are you personally, consciouly aware of God? Would you like to be?